The main focus of SSI's Workforce and Economic Development (WED) program is job creation through the medium of technology development and the establishment of workforce and entrepreneurship training programs that support safety and risk management, and the skill sets for the safe operation of evolving new technologies and their field-scale implementation. Consistent with the mission of SSI, the ultimate objective of this program is to promote the safe and efficient exploration of offshore resources through increased skill sets across the workforce aligned with the development and deployment of new technologies.

The program’s overall goals are:

1. in job creation within the program along with direct promotion of workforce development for the offshore industry and, therefore, the continued increase in economic development,
2. to engage with industry and government agencies and integrate new technology development resulting in economic advancement of the state of Texas and the nation, and
3. to advance environmental stewardship by reducing the risk of oil spills and accidents.

With the guidance of an industry advisory board, in addition to program administration and assessment, SSI's WED program will develop training materials and deliver courses in:

• Upstream Energy Safety
• Blow Out Preventer Issues
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Offshore Asset Monitoring
• Offshore Hydrogen
• Decarbonization/Net Zero Offshore Energy Operations
• Robotics
• Risk Assessment

The rapidly changing technology and operational safety challenges of the energy industry, especially offshore industry, demand an educated and qualified workforce—particularly critical with the current scarcity of industry experts coupled with the adoption of next generation technologies and the energy transition. New technology development and deployment will result in increased workforce needs and increased economic development. In Fiscal Year 2016, offshore oil and natural gas production contributed approximately 315,000 U.S. jobs (70% of those in the Gulf Coast states) and $30 billion to the U.S. economy.

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